Comments on: Up a full step

By: Jojo

Jojo — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:48:27 +0000

I’m holding out for a violin in which each string is attached to dogs leash and can pinpoint a dog’s precise location by the note they sound. Eventually,teaching the dogs to run and play in a precise way to produce actual music, although hard rock would be my choice if this fantasy ever comes true.

By: Jon

Jon — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:41:30 +0000

we wanted the monkeys to press the button, so we made it shiny – drivers wanted

By: Geomaniac

Geomaniac — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:50:35 +0000

The Minnesota Science Museum in St. Paul also has a musical staircase. Alas it is not painted like piano keys. It was fun though. My wife and I had the grandest time playing on those stairs, and we didn’t even have any kids with us!

By: another Josh

another Josh — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:29:23 +0000

Dang. The staircase at the Capitol South Metro station in Washington DC is only 80 steps (4 sets of 20 steps). Not quite enough for the 88 steps needed for a full keyboard. I count them every time I take the stairs, but it only takes 40 steps if I’m walking up the moving escalator.

By: Sili

Sili — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:33:42 +0000

Bizarre.

I normally take the stairs, but I suspect that that noise would make me selfconscious and push me towards the escalator to avoid causing a fuss. Interesting to see that Swedes in general are apparently less shy.

By: JB of Brisbane

JB of Brisbane — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:01:17 +0000

I seem to remember that on the old Dean Martin Show, Dino’s set had a high platform above the normal stage level, accessed by a set of stairs painted as piano keys. The main differences were each step was painted as a complete keyboard, and they did not produce any sound. I don’t think the technology existed back then.

By: Flashes from home « Sport and Tech Geek

Flashes from home « Sport and Tech Geek — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:49:22 +0000

[...] imagine of my surprise when i saw this post on Bad Astronomy. I have embedded the video that is on the log here [...]

By: Merijn

Merijn — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:49:05 +0000

Brilliant, just brilliantly funny!

By: Gamercow

Gamercow — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:43:11 +0000

I’ve been loving the musical stairs at the Boston Museum of Science for at least 15 years, so this is not new to me. The musical stairs are at the exit to the IMAX theater, so you get lots of people exiting at once. If enough notes are played at once, you get interesting things like owl hoots, and duck quacks. Fun stuff!

Oh, and this NEVER gets old. Every time I go to the BMoS, I play on the stairs.

By: Gary Ansorge

Gary Ansorge — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:06:51 +0000

I expect this could become a new sport, mixing music with extreme acrobatics. Can you imagine someone doing Flight of the Bumble bee on this?

Makes me sweat just thinking about it.

GAry 7

By: Ramblindude

Ramblindude — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:27:31 +0000

Climbing these stairs is a good way to tone up.

I’m sorry.

By: Torbjörn Larsson, OM

Torbjörn Larsson, OM — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:01:46 +0000

It’s Monday, but thanks anyway.

it must run longer than, say, a week – it is important to see if it begins to bore people

Yes, what was tested was more like a novelty.theory than a fun.theory@stairs. Even so, one can imagine changing stair novelty every now and then. Interactive stairs would be a hoot.

(For example, hip hop contests against a video screen would really be an opportunity to “break a leg”.)

[Btw, the rational way to get people walking in stairs is to shut down the escalators. Considering the sponsors/advertisers was a car company, one wonder why they didn't try to spice up traveling by horse carts?]

By: davem

davem — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:58:55 +0000

Need to abandon the piano keys, and make a tune if you go up one stair at a time, a better tune if you go up two at a time,and a grand concerto if you run up three at a time…

By: Jack Hagerty

Jack Hagerty — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:52:06 +0000

13. Tim Says: “It’s just a matter of time before we see a stairway performance of Tchaik 1.”

But only if the player is in a straightjacket and stuffed in a canvas mail sack.

- Jack

By: jick

jick — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:26:15 +0000

I think the opening theme of Pictures at an Exhibition contains an octave (upward) leap in its melody?

Yes, that will be one hell of an exercise to play on stairs. If anybody manages it, please post it on Youtube.

By: Gary Ansorge

Gary Ansorge — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:02:16 +0000

Kewl.

Gary 7

By: Jon B

Jon B — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:49:30 +0000

First the drive-by subway animation and now this. We need more interactive public art projects in the US — nice little surprises to shake commuters out of their dull days and make them smile.

@14: “How about a stairway version of Mussoursky’s Pictures at an Exhibition”

That would be one hell of an aerobic workout. Although “Stairway to Heaven” just begs to be adapted.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:35:15 +0000

I can imagine some demented coach telling his/her atheletes that instead of running stadiums, they had to “run” a particularly fast piano piece.

How about a stairway version of Mussoursky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (piano version, not the Ravel orchestral transcription)?

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:05:45 +0000

It’s just a matter of time before we see a stairway performance of Rach 3 or Tchaik 1…I hope!

By: J. D. Mack

J. D. Mack — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:05:24 +0000

I would absolutely fall and break my neck trying to play actual tunes on these stairs!

J. D.

By: Bill from Fallbrook

Bill from Fallbrook — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:58:17 +0000

Just got back from Boston where the museum of science has a similar set up. My brief observation seemed to indicate that children were more likely to take turns than work together. It is amusing to watch though.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:30:41 +0000

Here is another one from the same people, called the worlds deepest garbage can:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wOe0aqYguY&feature=player_embedded

By: The Other Ian

The Other Ian — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:25:22 +0000

Nifty idea, but will people still be using the stairs a month later when it’s gotten old?

By: Ken B

Ken B — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:09:50 +0000

Next step: Number the “keys” and put some posters on the wall with simple song instructions.

And, as DrFlimmer points out, I’d be curious of after a few weeks people start to avoid the stairs because they’re annoyed at the sound.

By: maehara

maehara — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:09:04 +0000

There’s a set of musical stairs at our local science centre (W5 in Belfast) – great fun. Although theirs aren’t laid out to look like a piano. I feel cheated now.